


Our Infernal

by witchGender



Series: Cinderbrush OT4 [4]
Category: Cinderbrush (Web Video), Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Demonic Possession, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22842592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchGender/pseuds/witchGender
Summary: Sometimes, it's better to not be alone.
Relationships: Jamie Wrenly/Cameron Solomon/Abigail "Aff" Flowers/Sasha Murasaki
Series: Cinderbrush OT4 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637644
Comments: 24
Kudos: 209





	Our Infernal

Cameron had been hearing the voice for almost a year now. He thought he’d gotten used to it. All he had to do was steer away from conflict, avoid situations that would spark jealousy or anger, and try not to get involved in anything that would require some supernatural help to get out of. He had been fairing pretty well, on that front. But tonight, his parents were unwittingly pushing his limits.

The house had been ringing with their voices for nearly two hours. He’d lost track of what had originally started the fight, not that it really mattered. Something had broken about an hour in. Cameron, for his part, was locked in his room, headphones on, struggling not to hear either of them - or the voice in his head.

“ _Their petty problems should mean nothing to you. You are so much more than them. Silence their impudence._ ” It was like snakes sliding over each other, like the carbonated fizz of a poisoned soda, like the crisp crunch of the forbidden apple.

“Fuck you.” Cameron hissed through his teeth. He tried not to talk to it, but fighting it back for this long was becoming a real pain. He never really knew how to make it go away. Sometimes just ignoring it for long enough would make it give up. Sometimes he had to give it a little of what it wanted.

“ _I could make them go away, you know. Make them shut up. All you have to do is ask._ ”

The vaguest promise it could’ve offered, of course. But Cameron was horrified to find that the prospect was oddly enticing. The voice never did more than he asked it to. Frankly, it often did less. Surely it could find a way to make his parents quiet the fuck down without hurting them, right? And since it was such a small request, maybe the cost wouldn’t be too high.

He felt, more than saw, the smoke clouding his vision. He never knew if he was closing his eyes or if they were just being covered. He didn’t even know the smoke was green until Sasha had screamed at him about it that night. The whispers grew louder, discordant, inhuman. Cameron’s body started to lock up, muscles too tense to move.

“ _Ask._ ”

He almost did. The thought trembled in his mind, not fully formed into a sentence. A desire that had not yet become a request. What did he really want?

He wanted the demon to make his parents stop fighting.

Somehow, the ridiculousness of it dawned on him. The idiocy. The danger. What the fuck kind of white-person-in-a-horror-movie shit was he pulling right now?

He snapped back into his body, sucking air into his lungs, which had gone still and empty during his trance. He coughed, heart racing as if he’d just escaped a near death experience.

The voice was not quiet. It hovered, snarling, hissing, angered at its stolen opportunity. Cameron’s hands moved on their own.

“Sasha?” he croaked into his phone.

“Yeah baby?” her tone was distracted, he could hear voices in the background. She was probably with the hive.

“I-” He choked, not knowing how to say any of what he was feeling. “I need- um. Sasha?”

“I’m here, Cam. What’s wrong?” She sounded more serious this time, more focused on him. There was the sound of a door closing, and the other voices on her end went quiet.

“It came back.” he whispered weakly. “I almost- Sash, please, I need you. I don’t wanna be alone right now. Please.”

“Is it safe to come over?” she asked, her tone implying she was already thinking of a plan B and C.

“God no.” He laughed weakly, and it wrung a voice crack from him. “They’re fighting downstairs, something broke - don’t come over, I don’t want you to get caught up in it.”

“Then meet me.” It was firm, an order. Lovely, powerful Sasha, taking control like she always did.

“Where?” he asked. The queen says jump, the commoner asks how high.

“The Flowers’ store. Aff’s working tonight, should be off in a few hours. Their dad won’t think it’s weird we’re hanging out. Want Jamie there too?” God she was good. She thought of everything, even things Cameron himself didn’t know he needed. He’d thought of Sasha first because he’d been closest to her for the longest. Imagining all three of them with him...

“Please.” was all he said in response.

“Okay. Text me updates, we’ll meet there and wait for you. If something happens and you can’t come, call me and hang up immediately.”

“Got it.”

“I love you.” It was less of a soft confession and more of a stern reminder. A reminder not to let himself get hurt, not to do anything stupid.

“Love you too.” He got it out just before she hung up.

Sneaking out was both easy and difficult. His parents had tried to make it impossible, but he’d done it enough times to know the trick. Out the bathroom window, onto the roof, jump into the neighbors tree, climb down, hop the fence. He shot off a text to Sasha, telling her he was safely out of the house. Cameron knew they’d hear if he took the car, so he got out his bike. The night was hot, murky. He sweated as he pumped the pedals, grateful for the ache as it distracted him from the terror of what he’d almost done.

It must’ve taken at least twenty minutes to get to the store, but it felt like no time at all. Neon signs and beer posters greeted him, and he chained up his bike outside before shoving the door open, a little bell jingling to announce his arrival.

“Cam!” There was a blur of silver, and Sasha was there, arms around his neck, face buried in the front of his sweat-soaked shirt. Sasha. Sweet Sasha. With her minty-sweet scent and delicate frame, clinging to him like he was her hero and not some demon-possessed freak. He enveloped her in his arms, tucked his face into her hair, and just let himself live for a moment.

“You okay? Did you bike here?” It was Aff’s voice, from across the room. Cameron looked up and saw them standing behind the counter, clearly unsure whether they should run to him too or stay at their post. He tried to give them a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, bad night to let the folks know I was going out. Where’s Jamie?”

“On their way, should be here soon.” Sasha pulled back enough to run her hands through his hair, face full of concern. “What happened? You sounded like a wreck on the phone.”

Cameron opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sudden, piecing pain in his temple. He grunted, instinctively letting go of Sasha to clutch at his head.

“Cam? Cam!” Her voice was growing distant, his vision was fogging. Fuck, no, not again!

“ _Why do you run to them? So petty, so powerless._ ”

“Get out of my head!” Cameron shouted at nothing in particular, unable to tell where he was, who he was with. He blinked frantically, unable to focus. There was a faint bell. There were hands on him, voices, softer than the creature, too soft to make out. He tried to see, but every flash of vision became warped. Sasha’s concerned face warped into one of her vicious, victorious smiles. A hand bedecked in rings and black-painted nails was suddenly covered in blisters and burns. Soft brown hair grew too fast, too far, covering soft cheeks.

“ _Look at them. Pathetic. The queen who does nothing with her power but fight to stay on top in this worthless, no where town. The witch who hurts themself with their own weak magic. The werewolf who’s eating themself from the inside out. **You can do better than them.**_ ”

Cameron wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. He shoved at whoever was in front of him, silently hoping they’d get the message to stay away. He was dangerous. He had too much power, and he couldn’t control it. None of them were strong enough to keep him down, couldn’t they see that? Even if he didn’t want to now, sooner or later he’d rip them all to shreds. They had to stay away, for their own safety.

“Stop it!” The voice rang out, recognizable but off somehow. Sasha’s usual clear, commanding tone held a sinister, low buzz. “Leave him alone! He’s our infernal, ours! He makes his choices through us, not you! You are his pawn, not the other way around! Know your place!”

Like it had been blown back by a sudden wind, the fog cleared. Cameron stood in the middle of the store, blinking, panting. Jamie was on the floor, glasses askew and expression shocked. Aff had left the counter and was hovering behind Sasha, half-crouched as if they had been planning to pounce on Cameron. Only Sasha looked certain, standing in the middle of the room with her feet firmly planted and a strange, dark shimmer in her eyes. Slowly, Cameron exhaled.

“Thanks.” He didn’t quite get what she’d done, but he knew she was the one who did it. The expression of gratitude seemed to relax her, and she smoothed a hand through her hair, her eyes softening.

“Don’t mention it.” She bent to offer Jamie a hand, straightening their glasses for them. “I didn’t know if it would work, but I figured I should try.”

“What did you do?” Jamie asked, seriously. “That thing isn’t human, you know that right? You can’t just boss it around.”

“I know. That’s why I wasn’t sure it would work.” She shrugged, as if she wanted to avoid the topic. “But I had to try, you know?”

“Uh. What just happened?” asked Aff, a waver in their voice. Almost instinctively, Cameron moved forward and slipped an arm around their waist, squeezing.

“Don’t worry about it, hun.” he said, kissing their cheek. They gave him a bemused and slightly scared look. “I’ll explain it when you’re off shift okay? You should stay behind the counter, in case customers come in.

Aff looked like they wanted to protest, but eventually they nodded. Sasha bought everyone a round of sodas (cotton candy Fago for Aff and Cameron, a Dr. Pepper for Jamie, a Sprite for herself) and they tried their best to fall into their usual routine of flirtatious jabbing.

The voice in Cameron’s head was blissfully quiet for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's part four done! I don't know if I'll continue this series, I have ideas but I am pretty busy with school. Wanted to get all four beginning parts out first at least.


End file.
